# Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball

The Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball program represents Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, in women's NCAA Division I basketball. The Bulldogs play in the Southeastern Conference. The program is notable for ending the UConn Huskies record 111-game winning streak by beating them 66-64 in overtime in the Final Four of the 2017 NCAA tournament. The buzzer beater shot that put the Bulldogs in front of the Huskies came from the smallest player on the court, the 5-foot-5 inch junior, Morgan William.

## Head coaches

| Name | Years | Record |
| Libba Birmingham | 1974–1977 | 29–38 |
| Peggy Collins | 1977–1984 | 91–103 |
| Eddie Vaughn | 1984–1985 | 8–19 |
| Brenda Paul | 1985–1989 | 52–56 |
| Jerry Henderson | 1989–1995 | 62–101 |
| Sharon Fanning-Otis | 1995–2012 | 281–232 |
| Vic Schaefer | 2012–2020 | 221–62 |
| Nikki McCray-Penson | 2020–2021 | 10–9 |
| Doug Novak (Interim) | 2021–2022 | 15–14 |
| Sam Purcell | 2022–present | 66–34 |

## Player awards
### National awards
#### Players

* USBWA Freshman of the Year
    LaToya Thomas – 2000
* Senior CLASS Award
    LaToya Thomas – 2003
* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
    Tan White – 2005
* Ann Meyers Drysdale Award
    Victoria Vivians – 2018
* Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
    Teaira McCowan – 2018
* Elite 90 Award (top GPA among upperclass players at the Final Four)
    Jordan Danberry – 2018

#### Coaches

* Naismith Award
    Vic Schaefer – 2018
* WBCA National Coach of the Year
    Vic Schaefer – 2018

### SEC awards

* Player of the Year
    LaToya Thomas – 2002, 2003
    Teaira McCowan – 2019
* Freshman of the Year
    LaToya Thomas – 2000
* Defensive Player of the Year
    Armelie Lumanu – 2010
    Martha Alwal – 2014
    Teaira McCowan – 2018, 2019
* 6th Woman of the Year
    Teaira McCowan – 2017

### Gillom Trophy

| Player | Winning year(s) |
| Alexis Rack | 2009, 2010 |
| Martha Alwal | 2013 |
| Victoria Vivians | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Teaira McCowan | 2019 |
| Jessika Carter | 2024 |

### All-Americans

| Player | Position | Playing Years |
| LaToya Thomas | Guard | 1999–2003 |
| Tan White | Guard | 2001–2005 |
| Alexis Rack | Guard | 2006–2010 |
| Victoria Vivians | Guard | 2014–2018 |
| Morgan William | Guard | 2014–2018 |
| Teaira McCowan | Center | 2015–2019 |
| Source: Mississippi State Media Guide CBS SportsespnW |||

## Postseason
### NCAAW tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA tournament 13 times. Their combined record is 24–12.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1999 | #7 | Round of 64 | #10 NC State | L 57-76 |
| 2000 | #3 | Round of 64 Round of 32 | #14 St. Peter's #11 UAB | W 94-60 L 72-78 |
| 2002 | #12 | Round of 64 Round of 32 | #5 Boston College #4 Texas Tech | W 65-59 L 55-77 |
| 2003 | #3 | Round of 64 Round of 32 | #14 Manhattan #6 New Mexico | W 73-47 L 61-73 |
| 2009 | #11 | Round of 64 Round of 32 | #6 Texas #3 Ohio State | W 71-63 L 58-64 |
| 2010 | #7 | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | #10 Middle Tennessee #2 Ohio State #3 Florida State | W 68-64 W 87-67 L 71-74 |
| 2015 | #5 | Round of 64 Round of 32 | #12 Tulane #4 Duke | W 57-47 L 56-64 |
| 2016 | #5 | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | #12 Chattanooga #4 Michigan State #1Connecticut | W 60-50 W 74-72 L 38-98 |
| 2017 | #2 | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | #15 Troy #7 DePaul #3 Washington #1 Baylor #1 Connecticut #1 South Carolina | W 110-69 W 92-71 W 75-64 W 94-85$^{OT}$ W 66-64$^{OT}$ L 55-67 |
| 2018 | #1 | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | #16 Nicholls State #9 Oklahoma State #4 NC State #3 UCLA #1 Louisville #1 Notre Dame | W 95-50 W 71-56 W 71-57 W 89-73 W 73-63$^{OT}$ L 58-61 |
| 2019 | #1 | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #16 Southern #9 Clemson #5 Arizona State #3 Oregon | W 103-46 W 85-61 W 76-53 L 84-88 |
| 2023 | #11 | First Four Round of 64 Round of 32 | #11 Illinois #6 Creighton #3 Notre Dame | W 70-56 W 81-66 L 48–53 |
| 2025 | #9 | Round of 64 | #8 California | TBD |

### WBIT tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in the WBIT 1 times. Their combined record is 2–1.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2024 | #2 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Georgia Tech #3 TCU at #1 Penn State | W 84–47 W 68–61 L 87–92 |

### WNIT / NWIT tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in the WNIT and its predecessor the NWIT 7 times with a combined record of 6-8.
| Year | Tourney | Round | Result |
| 1988 | NWIT | Third Round | 1-2 |
| 1998 | WNIT | First Round | 0-1 |
| 2001 | WNIT | Third Round | 2-1 |
| 2005 | WNIT | First Round | 0-1 |
| 2007 | WNIT | Third Round | 1-1 |
| 2008 | WNIT | Second Round | 0-1 |
| 2014 | WNIT | Third Round | 2-1 |